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Middle March: Spring's Belly-Baring Fashion Trend

If you think of fashion as a game of proportions, spring's belly dance was perhaps inevitable. Skirt hemlines are dropping like it's hot (it is!); pants are making a major comeback--clearly something had to give.

Once considered a dirty word among fashion cognoscenti, belly-baring is on the up and up.

If you think of fashion as a game of proportions, spring's belly dance was perhaps inevitable. Skirt hemlines are dropping like it's hot (it is!); pants are making a major comeback--clearly something had to give. We are not, after all, as puritanical as our ancestors may have been. So, with legs in virtual hibernation, what new erogenous zone to explore? I know what you might be thinking: Exposed midriffs aren't exactly uncharted territory--certainly not if you consider Britney Spears to be a beacon of style. (If that's the case, you can stop reading here.) For those of you who look beyond pop-tart train wrecks for fashion inspiration, trust me, this is not something you've seen before. I never thought I would call bra-baring classy, but in the case of fashion blogger Hanneli Mustaparta and a certain Alexander Wang sports bra (no padding, push-up, or lace in sight), which she astutely layered under an oversize blazer, it was drop-dead chic. Note the high-waisted, loose-fitting shorts and subdued palette. Checks and balances, I tell you! Always ahead of the curve, Rihanna also stepped onto center stage recently. Her take on ab fab? A color-blocked crop top-and-pant combo that, while sure to turn heads, wouldn't snub noses. For more inspiration on how to get waisted, see the spring runway shows. The moral of the story is that as long as you leave something to the imagination, exposing a sliver of tummy needn't be a deadly sin. Of course, bear in mind that if your midsection isn't as bikini-ready as Rihanna's, you might want to reconsider making it the center of attention. That, or you can simply make good on that New Year's resolution, and start crunching.